The first and most important task of any self-cultivator, regardless of their chosen tradition or practice, is to either maintain or revitalization their health. Good health is rooted and based on a person's sexual energy. This does not mean that a person must be sexual to be in good health, rather that biologically each person is genetically designed to be sexual, the very fabric of our physical well-being is based on our ability to be sexual active. For example when we are suffering from and illness or disease we normally lose our sex drive, when we recover from the illness and regain our health we experience sexual desire. The Taoists understood clearly that without optimum sexual energy (ching) there will not be sufficient internal energy to forge what they call the "elixir of immortality" (a result of optimum accumulation and refinement of the Three Treasures).

In analogy the ching is like the fuse on a stick of dynamite, the qi the explosive material, and shen the actual force and reaction of exploding dynamite. Without the fuse to ignite the dynamite the explosive material can not function. It is the same in the human body, without sufficient ching the body can not produce sufficient qi, without sufficient qi the shen (spirit) can not be made active. This is the reason we find in so many spiritual traditions methods for revitalizing the adherents internal and external energy. From yoga to martial arts there is always great initial emphasis on acquiring optimum health.

The Nine Jade Dragon Exercises Preliminary Treatments After having taken the herbs, wait approximately thirty minutes and then begin the following regime:

Remove all clothing items from the lower body so nothing constricts your movements.

Prior to performing these exercises it is advised to soak the entire penis shaft (not the groin), in warm water for three minutes. The water should not be luke warm nor so hot that you can't touch it, somewhere closer to the temperature of hot shower water. This will help draw more blood into the penis and relax it as well.

All the exercises should be done sitting upright on the edge of a chair.

For all the self-massage techniques use an oil on the body or penis to help make the actions easier and smoother.

1. Dragon Presses Its Body This exercise is an acupressure method for strengthening erections. This exercise will ensure that sufficient blood flow and qi energy will reach the genital area for the remainder of the exercises. Instructions

Rub clockwise 36 times with your right palm on the area three inches below your navel, and then clockwise with your right thumb pad 36 times on the same area. Press hard with the thumb pads of both hands simultaneously three inches above the medial of the ankle, slightly behind the tibia bone. Press in and out hard 36 times on both legs. Press hard with the thumb pads of both hands simultaneously three inches below the kneecap and 1 inch to the lateral on the tibia. Press in and out hard 36 times. Lastly, with the palms of both hands simultaneously massage vigorously upwards along the legs up to the groin area.

Many men have the problem of not being able to maintain an erection for a specific time without constant stimulation. Some men find it difficult to obtain an erection as quickly as they would like, and some can't keep the erection for as long as they would like. Even those men who do acquire immediate erections upon stimulation and are able to maintain it would still like to make it stronger. Stronger erections feel good to both himself and his sexual partner. There is also the problem of aging, when the erection becomes diminished in intensity and duration. It is said in sexual researches that a man fails to obtain full erection after the age of thirty, that the intensity, duration, and frequency begin to diminish around that age, as does the experience of having more than one climax within a sexual encounter. So it is important to cure the problem before it ever occurs. These methods provide the tools to recover these lost abilities.

The first rule for strengthening erections is to masturbate less frequently. A simple rule here is that after the age of thirty masturbation should not occur any more than two to three times a week, preferably just once. Masturbation desensitizes the penis, especially the membrane, called fraenum proeputii. This is the fold of skin which attaches to the back underside of glans penis to the shaft of the penis, and is very sensitive. Sometimes this is referred to as the "male clitoris." After climax it is very sensitive and many men can not have it touched in any manner for several minutes.

Men who masturbate frequently desensitize this fraenum proenutii so that it becomes more and more difficult to maintain an erection if a sexual partner doesn't grasp the penis with the same pressure and apply the same speed and directions of motion as he performs in his masturbation. Adding to the problem, many men use a lubricant for masturbation, and again find difficulty in achieving orgasm or maintaining an erection with a partner, because it does not feel the same as in masturbation.

There are several very simple things a man can do to strengthen his erections, no matter the degree or category of the problem. 1) Masturbate to ejaculation less. Whatever your degree of masturbation frequency is, cut it in half. Masturbate as often as you like, but only to the point of stimulation, not ejaculation. This will greatly increase your sexual energy as well as strengthen your erections and increase the seminal fluid production. This will also help reverse much of the desensitizing that may have occurred previously. 2) Wear tighter underwear so that more blood remains trapped within the penis during your daily activities.